DRINKING WATER
Empowering Smarter Decisions With Pipeline Data
Through case studies and technical insights, this paper demonstrates how utilities can use inspection tools, valve assessments, structural modeling, and predictive analytics to make informed decisions.
DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS
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![FCIAirFlow]( "Avoiding The High Costs Of Aeration Inefficiency")
Avoiding The High Costs Of Aeration InefficiencyKnowing that aeration requirements consume 50 to 60 percent of a wastewater treatment plant's (WWTP) energy bill is one thing. Knowing exactly how and when to tweak aeration output to optimize activated sludge process efficiency with minimal energy waste is an entirely different story.
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![Ductile Iron Pipe.jpg]( "All-Terrain Ductile Iron Pipe Delivers For Washington County, Utah")
All-Terrain Ductile Iron Pipe Delivers For Washington County, UtahThe Washington County Water Conservancy District was faced with the possibility of a severe water shortage and knew something had to be done. Explore how the solution they chose increased system efficiency and security, while also decreasing treatment and pumping costs.
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![Xylem Expertise Helps South Carolina Utility Eliminate Taste And Odor Issues In Drinking Water]( "Xylem Helps South Carolina Utility Eliminate Taste And Odor Issues In Drinking Water")
Xylem Helps South Carolina Utility Eliminate Taste And Odor Issues In Drinking WaterAdvanced oxidation treatment system and water treatment plant upgrade save money.
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![ConeType]( "V-Cone Differential-Pressure Meters: Accuracy To Go With The Flow")
V-Cone Differential-Pressure Meters: Accuracy To Go With The FlowWhen space is tight and straight-run piping is at a premium, V-Cone differential pressure (DP) meters are an excellent choice — especially where the potential for turbulence raises metering accuracy issues with other conventional meter styles. This article describes how to satisfy some challenging water infrastructure applications with V-Cone meter accuracy at a low permanent pressure loss.
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Breaking The Causative Chain Of Legionellosis
Legionnaires’ disease first garnered public attention in 1976. After attending an American Legion convention at a Philadelphia hotel, 221 people became ill, with 34 dying of a mysterious illness. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched a major investigation, and in 1977 identified the responsible bacterium, naming it Legionella.
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A Lesson In DMA Management
White House Utility District (WHUD) is one of the largest water and sewer utilities in the state of Tennessee. While developing a network of pipelines, pumping stations and storage units was challenging, the greater test came in finding access to a plentiful water supply.
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![Benefits_Of_Asset_Mgmt_iStock-967487804.jpg]( "Reaping The Benefits Of Proactive Asset Management")
Reaping The Benefits Of Proactive Asset ManagementThe more a water distribution or wastewater collection operation knows about its infrastructure, the better equipped it is to optimize performance, maximize asset life, and prioritize long-term capital investment. Here is a breakdown of enterprise asset management (EAM) opportunities and the advantages they offer — from more timely data collection, to more in-depth cost analysis, to more cost-effective decision-making.
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![gettyimages-842727238-170667a]( "Which Gate Valve Is Best For Today's Waterworks Systems?")
Which Gate Valve Is Best For Today's Waterworks Systems?Outdated specifications can sometimes lead to confusion regarding which gate valve should be used. Understanding how the standards have evolved and why can help utilities understand the source of this confusion.
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![TIGG_Horsham-Air-National-Guard_Case-Study-1]( "PFOA/PFOS Stormwater Treatment")
PFOA/PFOS Stormwater TreatmentFollowing several years of piloting ion exchange resin for the removal of perfluorinated compounds, CKS Engineers needed to design and construct a full-scale system to treat the former military base stormwater runoff before entering Neshaminy Creek.
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![EPA Researchers]( "EPA Researchers Explore Technology To Destroy PFAS")
EPA Researchers Explore Technology To Destroy PFASPer-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, otherwise known as PFAS, are a large group of human-made organic compounds with properties that make many of them toxic and persistent in the environment. PFAS have been manufactured and used since the 1940s in items such as fire-fighting foams, adhesives, cosmetics, paper products, and stain and water repellants. Until now, researchers have been unable to destroy PFAS in a way that has potential for larger scale use.
DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES
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Circuit Board Cleanliness Testing10/29/2021
Contamination of circuit boards can bring about severe degradation of insulation resistance and dielectric strength. Cleanliness of completed circuit boards is, therefore, of vital interest. For those companies who have established circuit board cleaning procedures, the MIL Spec P-28809 has been used as a guideline for control. Now a simple "on line" test for the relative measurement of ionic contamination has been developed.
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Reduce Or Eliminate Water Hammer With Valve Positioners5/19/2022
Water hammer, which can occur in just about any pumping system and even steam systems, can lead to pipe breakage, equipment damage or even total system failure. Addressing water hammer at the source is the savviest and most cost-effective way to handle the issue.
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Reducing And Reusing Water In Steel Manufacturing2/28/2022
The art of manufacturing steel for industries is well over 100 years old. Within this time, the steel business has fulfilled consumer needs, including construction, transportation, and manufacturing. The steel manufacturing process is quite intensive as it requires a lot of water to cool down the application. Steel plants constantly look for strategies that can help sustain the steel for a longer time by efficiently improving water and energy consumption.
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Improved Determination Of Volatile Organic Compounds In Water By SPME And GC/MS6/21/2018
The analysis of water for volatile organic compounds is important due to their toxicity. The current methods for this determination lack of sensitivity, selectivity or capability for automation. This paper presents the new ISO 17943 Standard using Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) and GC/MS. The sample preparation by SPME enables limits of detection and easy automation of the whole method. GC/MS provides the required sensitivity and selectivity. This ISO Standard was validated by an interlaboratory trial, which results confirm the outstanding performance for this method.
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What Are You Doing To My Pipe: Can PVC Pipe Be Loaded?4/13/2021
The argument has been used that PVC pipe is delicate and can’t be subjected to any kind of loading. In EBAA's years of testing we have found that is not the case at all. PVC can take an extreme amount of strain.
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Application Note: Busseron Creek Watershed Partnership Addresses Concerns In A Rural Watershed1/20/2010As with other watershed organizations, the Busseron Creek Watershed Partnership (BCWP) exists because of surface water quality degradation. In this case, those waters drain 163,231 acres of a watershed that crosses the boundaries of Vigo, Clay, Green, and Sullivan counties in West- Central Indiana. By YSI
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Application Note: Water Flows From The Golden Hills Of California1/20/2010Each morning John Johnson drives the few miles from his smalltown home in northern California to the Center at Pardee Reservoir. Nestled among the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the reservoir is a long 100 miles away from San Francisco Bay. By YSI
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Determination Of Pesticide Residues In Tea4/10/2015
In 2012, Americans consumed well over 79 billion servings of tea, which is just over 3.60 billion gallons.
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Solution For Algae Blooms12/17/2015
Harmsco® Filtration Products is pleased to offer a solution to the ever increasing blue-algae blooms in water sources. A multi-barrier approach is necessary to physically remove intact (algae and cyanobacteria) before they rupture in the treatment process and then remove extracellular cyanobacteria through adsorption.
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Cloth Media Filtration Removes Coal Ash And Coal Fines At Power Plants1/15/2019
Coal-fired power plants generate coal fines and coal ash from a number of sources, including coal combustion residuals (CCR), particularly fly and bottom ash from coal furnaces, and coal pile runoff during rain events. In support of an industry-wide effort to reduce, improve, and remove coal ash ponds, a variety of technologies have been tested and employed. Read the full application note to learn more.
DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS
The ModMAG® M5000 Electromagnetic flow meter is an ideal solution for remote potable water applications, providing consistently reliable and accurate measurements. It is conveniently powered by a battery and built for field verification testing.
SORBIX R SERIES ECT2’s Regenerable System is designed to regenerate the SORBIX RePURE ion exchange resin used in the Series M and Series T product lines.
The system of choice for meeting the rigid quality standards of the Recreational Water, Life Sciences, Pharmacy, Cosmetics and Food & Beverage markets. The Aquafine UV Logic Series uses one of the most advanced technologies, the low-pressure, high-output (LPHO) amalgam lamp.
The OPTISONIC 3400 is a 3-path ultrasonic inline flowmeter designed for a wide range of standard or more demanding process applications with homogeneous, non-viscous aqueous liquids as well as viscous fluids of up to over 1000 cSt. It is also the perfect choice for applications with cryogenic products (as low as -200°C / -328°F), media with extended temperature ranges (up to +250°C / +482°F) as well as low or extreme pressure ratings. The OPTISONIC 3400 offers a broad range of diameters – from DN25 / 1" for dosing purposes to DN3000 / 120" for water transportation pipelines.
Aqua-Aerobic® Membrane Systems featuring NO BREAK Aqua MultiBore® membranes are designed to effectively remove suspended solids, particulate phosphorus, bacteria, cysts and other harmful impurities, resulting in safe, high quality water
McCrometer’s ExactSteam V-Cone System is a complete flowmeter for steam metering, factory configured for energy metering or mass flow. The meter accurately measures steam across the entire range with technology-leading low flow cut off.
LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER
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![Money down drain-GettyImages-171578755]( "Is This The End Of Affordable Water?")
Water pricing often fails to reflect scarcity, quality, or long-term risk, forcing companies to act internally. But this action is not being done in a vacuum. The ripple effect of internal water pricing is bound to impact water utilities, and ultimately, ratepayers and consumers.
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![PFAS Label on hundred dollar bill-GettyImages-2193126716]( "PFAS Settlements: Debunking The Myths And Revealing What's Really At Stake For Water Utilities")
Misinformation and confusion could prevent some utilities from benefitting from the aqueous film-forming foam multidistrict litigation (AFFF MDL) settlements. Here are five common myths about the AFFF MDL PFAS settlements and how public water systems can make the most of this unprecedented funding opportunity.
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![0421_Honduras_Barrio El Rosario-0030]( "Safe Sanitation For Students: 2025 World Toilet Day")
Every year on November 19, Water Mission observes World Toilet Day — a day designated by the United Nations to focus on the importance of safe sanitation for all.
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![energy flow, data transmission, technological connectivity-GettyImages-2240709017]( "2026 Water Utility Outlook: Regulation, AI, And Resilience In The Face Of Scarcity")
Global Water Outcomes expert notes that “water utilities are facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities,” citing the role of digital solutions moving forward. -
![running faucet-GettyImages-175426122]( "HAAs In The EU: Monitoring For Haloacetic Acids Under The Drinking Water Directive")
In this Q&A, Dr. Elke Süss of Metrohm addresses the urgent need for haloacetic acid testing in response to “one of the most significant updates to EU drinking water monitoring in recent years.” -
![clean, safe water with AI-GettyImages-1314144773]( "Collaborating To Execute The AI-Water Nexus")
Amazon and Xylem partner to tackle Mexico’s leaking water systems as the country balances water scarcity and a growing tech sector.
DRINKING WATER VIDEOS
RIP Kitty Hach-Darrow (October 20, 1922 - June 4, 2020), co-founder of Hach Company
Stanford Earth’s Rosemary Knight recently spearheaded a project to map underground freshwater resources and forecast the intrusion of saltwater into aquifers beneath the California coastal town of Marina.
NASA scientists used tree rings to understand past droughts and climate models incorporating soil moisture data to estimate future drought risk in the 21st century.
See how SIWA MDM Event and Data Action Management (EDAM) helps utilities detect anomalies and identify service points with potential issues. With EDAM, utilities can define a set of conditions or rules that SIWA MDM meter data management uses to analyze data and events such as water leaks and missing reads.
ABOUT DRINKING WATER
In most developed countries, drinking water is regulated to ensure that it meets drinking water quality standards. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers these standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
Drinking water considerations can be divided into three core areas of concern:
- Source water for a community’s drinking water supply
- Drinking water treatment of source water
- Distribution of treated drinking water to consumers
Drinking Water Sources
Source water access is imperative to human survival. Sources may include groundwater from aquifers, surface water from rivers and streams and seawater through a desalination process. Direct or indirect water reuse is also growing in popularity in communities with limited access to sources of traditional surface or groundwater.
Source water scarcity is a growing concern as populations grow and move to warmer, less aqueous climates; climatic changes take place and industrial and agricultural processes compete with the public’s need for water. The scarcity of water supply and water conservation are major focuses of the American Water Works Association.
Drinking Water Treatment
Drinking Water Treatment involves the removal of pathogens and other contaminants from source water in order to make it safe for humans to consume. Treatment of public drinking water is mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. Common examples of contaminants that need to be treated and removed from water before it is considered potable are microorganisms, disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals and radionuclides.
There are a variety of technologies and processes that can be used for contaminant removal and the removal of pathogens to decontaminate or treat water in a drinking water treatment plant before the clean water is pumped into the water distribution system for consumption.
The first stage in treating drinking water is often called pretreatment and involves screens to remove large debris and objects from the water supply. Aeration can also be used in the pretreatment phase. By mixing air and water, unwanted gases and minerals are removed and the water improves in color, taste and odor.
The second stage in the drinking water treatment process involves coagulation and flocculation. A coagulating agent is added to the water which causes suspended particles to stick together into clumps of material called floc. In sedimentation basins, the heavier floc separates from the water supply and sinks to form sludge, allowing the less turbid water to continue through the process.
During the filtration stage, smaller particles not removed by flocculation are removed from the treated water by running the water through a series of filters. Filter media can include sand, granulated carbon or manufactured membranes. Filtration using reverse osmosis membranes is a critical component of removing salt particles where desalination is being used to treat brackish water or seawater into drinking water.
Following filtration, the water is disinfected to kill or disable any microbes or viruses that could make the consumer sick. The most traditional disinfection method for treating drinking water uses chlorine or chloramines. However, new drinking water disinfection methods are constantly coming to market. Two disinfection methods that have been gaining traction use ozone and ultra-violet (UV) light to disinfect the water supply.
Drinking Water Distribution
Drinking water distribution involves the management of flow of the treated water to the consumer. By some estimates, up to 30% of treated water fails to reach the consumer. This water, often called non-revenue water, escapes from the distribution system through leaks in pipelines and joints, and in extreme cases through water main breaks.
A public water authority manages drinking water distribution through a network of pipes, pumps and valves and monitors that flow using flow, level and pressure measurement sensors and equipment.
Water meters and metering systems such as automatic meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) allows a water utility to assess a consumer’s water use and charge them for the correct amount of water they have consumed.